The MV Westpac Express operations officer explains the functions of his ship pierside in Chuk Samet, Thailand, during exercise Cobra Gold. Photo by PH2 Jennifer A. Smith, USN

SC trains continuously for real-world contingencies by participating in a variety of service, joint, combined and international exercises – more than 60 during FY 2002 – including the following:

Reception, Staging, Onward movement and Integration of forces, or RSOI – a joint U.S.-Korean command post and field training exercise sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea that tested bilateral interoperability and moving and receiving forces in the Korean theater.

Cobra Gold – an annual U.S. Pacific Command exercise conducted in Thailand that tested strategic lift readiness and joint interoperability.

Ulchi-Focus Lens – an annual command post coordination exercise in support of the Republic of Korea that afforded U.S. Navy reservists assigned to MSC an opportunity to train for mobilization.

MSC trained in more than 60 exercises in FY 2002, preparing for real-world contingencies.

Bright Star – a bi-annual combined-forces exercise designed to enhance U.S. readiness, interoperability and joint sea control capability in conjunction with Egyptian forces.

Turbo Activations – four separate no-notice exercises during the year that measured the activation time and personnel and materiel readiness of 34 selected Ready Reserve Force vessels of the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Seabees secure a roll-on/roll-off discharge facility to MSC's surge sealift ship, USNS Seay prior to off-loading rolling stock during exercise Native Atlas. Photo by PHAN Aaron Pineda, USN.

Nuevos Horizontes (New Horizons) – a series of joint and combined exercises tailored to provide military-to-military training involving the movement of humanitarian and civil assistance cargo held in conjunction with countries in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, such as Barbados, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Nicaragua.

Native Atlas/JLOTS – a deployment of combat forces that exercised joint-logistics-over-the-shore off-load capability of MSC ships in an area that has no port facilities.

Strong Resolve – an annual Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic exercise that tested the deployment of NATO forces into Norway to enhance an expanded task force.

Tandem Thrust – a U.S. Pacific Command-Seventh Fleet field training exercise that tested U.S. forces combat readiness.

A U.S. Army stevedore drives a snowcat vehicle aboard MSC chartered roll-on/roll-off ship MV Sarawak for exercise Strong Resolve in Norway. Photo by Paul Weitenberg.

Unified Charger – an annual exercise that allows U.S. Navy reservists to activate, deploy and support MSC Europe as they would during a contingency.

Rescue Eagle – a U.S. European Command evacuation exercise that was combined with the activation and deployment of MSC hospital ship USNS Comfort to train U.S. Navy reservists and participating nation medical staffs.

Sealift 02 – an MSC sponsored war game/exercise that provided the framework to assess the near- and long-term requirements, processes and procedures to effectively provide a combatant command's war-time resources using strategic sealift.